A Touch of Darkness (Hades & Persephone 1)

Persephone gasped and bit down hard on his lip, eliciting a growl that made her shudder. His lips left hers and descended upon her breasts, licking and sucking, grazing each nipple with his teeth. Persephone clung to him, fingers twining in his hair, freeing it from its binding, pulling the strands harder the longer he worked.

Then she felt his hands pulling up her dress, and he lifted her, laying her back on the hard table.

“I have thought of you every night since you left me in the bath,” he said, and spread her legs wide, pressing in against her. “You left me desperate, swollen with need only for you,” he gritted out. For a moment, she thought he might leave her desperate, but then he said, “But I will be a generous lover.”

He lowered and kissed the inner part of her thigh, following with his swirling tongue until he reached her center. Then his hands spread her further and she felt him there—a testing tongue, then a deeper exploration, and she arched off the table crying out. She reached for him, wishing to tangle her fingers in his dark hair, but he grabbed her wrists and held them against her sides and spoke against her. “I said I would be a generous lover, not a kind one.”

She writhed against him as he worked, pressing her hips into him just to feel him deeper, and he delivered, releasing her to sink his fingers into her damp center. She couldn’t stop the moans from escaping her mouth. He drove her to the edge, and she resisted, wanting to prolong this ecstasy as long as possible, but he grew fierce and wicked, and she called his name over and over again—a chant that matched his strokes until she came apart.

She had no time to collect herself. Hades reached for her, dragging her to his mouth. She tasted herself on his lips and reached for the buttons of his shirt, but Hades caught her wrists, stopping her. She was even more confused when he pulled the straps of her dress into place.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

He dared to laugh.

“Patience, darling,”

She was anything but patient—the heat between her legs had only been stoked, and she was desperate to be filled.

He gathered her into his arms and strolled out of his study, into the palace halls.

“Where are we going?” she asked, hands fisted into his shirt. She was ready to rip it from his body—to see him naked before her, to know him as intimately as he knew her.

“To my chambers,” he said.

“And you can’t teleport?” she asked.

“I’d prefer the whole palace know we aren’t meant to be disturbed.”

Persephone blushed. She only shared half of that wish—and it was to not be disturbed.

He held her close as he walked, and the reality of why they were going to his bedroom descended. There was no returning from this—she’d known that from the beginning. The evening they shared in the pool had been one of the most exhilarating experiences of her life, but this night would be one of the most devastating.

Their darkness would come together. After tonight, this god would always be a part of her.

After they were inside Hades’ chambers, he seemed to sense the change in her thoughts. He lowered her to the ground, keeping her close. She fit against his body perfectly, and she had the fleeting thought that they were always meant to come together like this.

“We don’t have to do this,” he said.

She reached for the lapels of his jacket and helped him out of it.

“I want you,” she said. “Be my first—be my everything.”

It was all the encouragement he needed. Hades lips met hers—softly at first, and then they came together more urgently. He tore away and turned her around, unzipping her dress. The red silk fell away, puddling on the floor at her feet. She still wore the heels but stood naked before him.

Hades groaned and walked around to face her. His shoulders were bunched, his hands fisted, and his jaw clenched, and she knew he was doing everything in his power to maintain control.

“You are beautiful, my darling,” he said.

He kissed her again and Persephone fumbled with his shirt until Hades took over, making quick work of the buttons, then he reached for her, but she took a step back. For a moment, Hades was confused, and then Persephone said, “Drop your glamour.”

He looked at her curiously.

She shrugged a shoulder. “You wish to fuck me with this crown; I wish to fuck a god.”

His smirk was devilish, and he answered, “As you wish.”

Hades’ glamour evaporated like smoke curling into the air. The black of his eyes melted to an electrifying blue, and two black gazelle horns spiraled out of his head. He seemed bigger than ever, filling the whole space with his dark presence.